“(Daniel Briere) is making moves to try to make our team better,” Couturier said on the Philadelphia-based Nasty Knuckles podcast. “I think they’re calculated; he’s not really sacrificing the future.”
Briere signed Anaheim Ducks centre and 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson to a record five-year, $90-million offer sheet on July 3, but was matched by Anaheim on Thursday.
Had the Ducks elected not to match, the Flyers would be sending four first-round picks back to Southern California — a price Couturier said would be worth both the talent acquisition and the immediate boost Carlsson would provide.
“We have so many young prospects I feel we’ve drafted in the last two or three years, that, you know, at one point you can’t have them all here, especially with the young group we already have,” Couturier said.
“I thought it was a smart move, smart offer.”
Regardless of the outcome, the veteran thinks the bold move sends a message around the league that the Flyers are ready to play.
After they got a taste of post-season action in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the GM will do what he can to get there again.
“We’re (a team) to start to take seriously,” Couturier said. “It’s fun to be a part of this organization.”